Foxtail millet idli

Foxtail millet (Kannada: Navane, Hindi: Kangni) is healthy and nutritious. It is one of the oldest cultivated foods. Foxtail millets are widely cultivated in china, India and Africa. Western world and developed nations are slowly accepting it as food for humans as a nutritious substitute for healthier diets.

It is good to control diabetics (controls Blood Sugar Level), keeps the digestive tract clean, and reduces heart attack. It is high in anti-oxidants ad helps in weight loss.

Ingredients

2 cups  gms foxtail millet (2 small plastic glasses)

¾  cup  dosa rice

2 tbsp beaten rice

¾  cup udad dal

1½ tsp fenugreek seeds

Water as required

Salt to taste

Instruction

• ·         Soak the foxtail millet, dosa rice and beaten rice together overnight.
• ·         Soak the udad dal and fenugreek seeds togetherovernight.
• ·         Grind the millet rice mix, pour into a vessel.
• ·         Grind the udad dal and pour into the same vessel, mix together and leave overnight for fermentation.
• ·         In the morning, add salt and make idlis. Serve with sambar and chutney.

Rusk

My husband loves to have rusk with his morning tea sometimes. I wanted to bake rusk at home and did it. It had eggs as ingredient and he complained of slight smell of egg. I tried a second time without egg, but it also didn’t come up to his expectations. This was my third attempt and he was totally satisfied with the outcome.

Ingredients

2 cups refined flour (maida)

1 tsp baking powder

¾ tsp baking soda

½ cup ghee

½ cup powdered sugar

1 cup condensed milk

1 cup milk

Instruction

·         Sieve the maida, baking powder and baking soda twice and keep aside.

·         Melt the ghee, add the powdered sugar and beat well.

·         Pour in the condensed milk and beat it again.

·         Add 1 tbsp of maida and mix well. Add a little of milk and beat again. Keep repeating this till all ingredients are mixed in.

·         Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

·         Take a rectangular baking box, grease and sprinkle dry maida in it. Pour the batter into it and bake for 25 minutes.

·         Reduce the temperature to 160 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes. Insert a tooth pick into the center and the cake is done if it comes out clean. Otherwise bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.

·          Take it out and allow it to cool. Make slices and put inside the oven and bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes (no preheating now).

Kadhi with ajwain leaves pakode

Ajwain leaf  is a tender, fleshy leaf with an oregano or thyme like flavor and aroma. It has many medicinal properties and is used extensively in cooking throughout India.

Ajwain leaves are used for treating colds, coughs, and fevers in infants and small children. They improve digestion and stimulate appetite in children. They also provide relief from stomach problems like flatulence and other abdominal discomforts.

Ingredients

For the pakode (dumplings)

½ cup cleaned and cut ajwain leaves

¾ cup gram flour (besan)

Salt to taste

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

1/3 tsp red chilli powder

A pinch of asafoetida

A pinch of baking soda

Water

Oil for frying

For kadhi

1 cup sour yoghurt

2 tbsp besan

Salt

1/3 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

2 cups water

To season

1 tbsp oil

½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

½ tsp fenugreek ( methi seeds)

1/3 tsp red chilli powder

Instructions

·         Beat the yoghurt and add slowly mix in the besan without forming lumps. Add all the other ingredients. Put it on fire, when ot comes to boil, reduce the flame to minimum. Let it simmer and let the besan be cooked.

·         Mix all the ingredients for the pakode. Heat the oil in a kadai and fry the pakode and drain them.

·         Put all the pakode into the kadhi, let it simmer for 5 minutes and remove from fire.

·         Season and pour it over the kadhi before serving.

oBasale kadhi : Click her for recipe